Nikephoros Ouranos | |
---|---|
Born | Unknown |
Died | c. 1010 Antioch (modern-day Antakya, Hatay, Turkey) |
Allegiance | Byzantine Empire |
Rank | Domestic of the Schools, doux of Antioch, viceroy of the Eastern frontier |
Battles/wars | Battle of Spercheios |
Nikephoros Ouranos (Greek: Νικηφόρος Οὐρανός; fl. c. 980 – c. 1010), Latinized as Nicephorus Uranus, was a high-ranking Byzantine official and general during the reign of Emperor Basil II (r. 976–1025). One of the emperor's closest associates, he was active in Europe in the wars against the Bulgarians, scoring a major victory at Spercheios, and against the Arabs in Syria, where he held command during the first decade of the 11th century as Basil's virtual viceroy. A well-educated man, he wrote a military manual (Taktika) and composed several surviving poems and hagiographies.